Today (January 13) is the feast of St. Hilary (c. 310 – c. 367) Bishop of Poitiers (France) and Doctor of the Church. While there were several men named after him in South LA, there are at least a few from the Vidrine Family with his name. Interestingly, they all descend
Like black-eyed peas and cabbage, cornbread is nearly just as much of a necessity in LA on New Year’s Day. But while that’s the case in South LA and has been for some time, it was not always the case – neither in Upper LA (the Illinois Country) nor in
La Guignolée is a tradition on New Years Eve in the Illinois Country, formerly called Upper LA. Most certainly, it was practiced when Jean Baptiste Lapaise de Védrines and Elisabeth de Moncharvaux were living there. Our Courir de Mardi Gras in Lower LA has similar roots. This is the translation:
Happy New Year to the Vidrine Family! 2017 marks the 250th anniversary of the death of Jean Baptiste François Tisserand De Moncharvaux, the father of Elisabeth De Moncharvaux and maternal grandfather of the Vidrine Family in LA. He was born in 1695 in the Parish of St. Pierre, Diocese of Langres,
What a joy to visit the headquarters of the Peoria Tribe of Indians in Miami, Oklahoma, which the Kaskaskia Tribe joined with in the 1800’s! Unfortunately, there are no more living Kaskaskia descendants but the ones with mixed heritage like us (the Vidrine Family) who descend from Marie Rouensa. The first
Today is the feast of St. Stephen, the Deacon and first Martyr of the Church. He was martyred in Jerusalem around the year 34ad. Jean-Baptiste Lapaise de Védrines and Elisabeth’s second son was named after him – Etienne Vidrine dit Lapaise (1770–1849). Etienne was born on June 15, 1770 at